Let us turn to 2 Timothy 1, verse 13.
Hold fast the pattern of sound words which thou hast heard from me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Today we will continue to study this matter of the pattern of sound words. According to the context of this portion of Scripture, Paul shows us that the pattern of sound words is actually the gospel.
For this gospel, he was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. For this gospel, he suffered much, but he was not ashamed, because he knew what the pattern of sound words was. This is what God entrusted to him.
When God entrusted this to him, God at the same time gave him the kingdom. On one hand, it is the way of the cross; on the other hand, it is the way of the crown.
Paul explains the gospel with three important points. First, He abolished death. Secondly, He brought life and immortality to light. Thirdly, he suffered these things but was not ashamed until that day.
According to Paul’s own words in the thirteen epistles that he wrote, to abolish death speaks of the word of the cross. To bring life and immortality to light speaks of the word of life. To suffer these things but not be ashamed until that day is the word of the kingdom.
So, if you want to know what the pattern of sound words is, it is the word of the cross, the word of life, and the word of the kingdom: justified in Christ, sanctified in Christ, and glorified with Christ.
Now, that is the pattern of sound words. We need to use Paul’s own words to explain these three words.
Last evening, very quickly, we shared on this matter of the word of the cross. But because we are limited in time, we can only gloss over it. If we were to speak fully about the church epistles, there are nine of them.
We can only have a slight impression of it. It is like a sketch: perhaps you cannot see the freckles or the wrinkles in a person’s face, but you can see the personality of that person. You can see that it is that person.
So we can only gloss over it, like observing flowers while riding a horse, or like dragonflies skittering over the surface of the water. We are just going to make a few points.
I would like to encourage the young people. The Lord gives us very precious time today. From my own personal experience, the best investment of your life is in the Word of God.
In church history, God used those with the best minds in His Word. But God’s Word is not just for us to understand. God gives us His Word so that we have a way to go.
Can you walk in a way that pleases Him? That is according to how much you know of God’s love.
When we talk about the word of the cross, there is theology here, but you cannot just stop there. It is not only truth; it is also a way. If you throw away the truth, you do not have a way.
Behind the word of the cross, there is the way of the cross. Many people can speak a very good word, but they miss the way.
The pattern of sound words gives us a foundation in God’s Word. On that foundation, something can be built. Then we have a way in which we can follow our Lord.
Let us return to what we mentioned yesterday: the word of the cross. The word of the cross is explained through four of Paul’s epistles: Romans, Galatians, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians.
We say that the emphasis of these books is on the word of the cross, though much of their content also speaks of the word of life and the word of the kingdom.
In the first set of Paul’s books, from Romans through Galatians, the Holy Spirit emphasizes the matter of the word of the cross.
For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God.
What is the word of the cross? The word of the cross to us is that we preach Christ crucified.
Man can accept Christ, but he cannot accept Christ crucified. Man can accept power and wisdom, but he cannot accept foolishness or weakness. They feel that the cross is the mark of weakness and foolishness. But that is actually the opposite.
The whole world will be amazed. Where can you find wisdom? Where can you find power? After man fell, how deep did man fall? You can see how desperate man’s condition is today.
But thank the Lord, God has a way. The solution is the cross. Before, there was no solution. Socrates had no solution. Confucius had no solution. Not a single religion in the world had a solution.
But the cross is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Thank the Lord.
The cross is where man hated God to the uttermost. But that is also the place where God loved man to the uttermost.
Our Lord could pray for sinners on the cross. He also prayed for His enemies:
Father, forgive them.
This is the power of love. On the cross, someone would suffer so much pain that the only thing he could do is curse God. But on the cross, God’s love reached its apex.
So the Father answered and heard His Son’s prayer. How is it possible for Him to forgive sinners? They are sinners; of course, they need to be judged. If I love my son’s enemies, where is justice?
God has to keep His justice, because justice is a pillar in the universe. Without justice, how can this world sustain itself? God’s justice is on the south pole, and His love is on the north pole. These two things can never meet.
But thank the Lord, because He listened to His Son’s prayer. It was not man who crucified our Lord. It does not matter if you had a hundred thousand Pilates or a hundred Judases. That is not salvation.
We have salvation because God loved us. God desired to give His Son to us. Therefore, He was crucified on the cross.
Brothers and sisters, on the cross there were six hours. During the first three hours, man crucified our Lord on the cross. But during the latter three hours, God bruised and crushed Him.
When the wrath of God was upon His Son, Jesus stood in your position and mine. You and I should have said, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” Sin makes us very far from the Lord.
But thank the Lord, He stood in your stead and mine. When we see the complete work of salvation on the cross, on one hand it fulfilled God’s love, and on the other hand it fulfilled God’s justice.
God’s justice and God’s love met on the cross. Two parallel lines never intersect, but thank the Lord: God’s justice and God’s love, these two parallel lines, ended up intersecting at the cross.
This is God’s wisdom. This is the wisdom of God. This is the power of God. When you add power and wisdom together, you can solve many problems.
There is a power—the power of God, the power of the cross. There is a wisdom that is like God’s wisdom. To man, it is foolishness and weakness; but thank the Lord, God’s weakness is stronger than man’s power, and God’s foolishness is higher than man’s wisdom.
In the matter of the gospel, we have been saved. From now on, no longer do we go to hell; we are going to heaven. From the day that we were saved, that is the greatest day of our lives.
If we know the story of the fall of man, we see that our God wants to solve a problem that nobody can solve.
Yesterday we mentioned matchmakers. The only thing a matchmaker wants to do is get both parties together. No matchmaker takes care of what happens after the marriage.
But when you speak of the gospel, when you speak of the pattern of sound words, you see that God’s salvation is a complete one.
Once we are saved, should not all problems be solved? Before we were saved, we had a burden. Afterwards, we still have a burden. Before we were saved, we had the burden of sin; after we are saved, we carry the burden of holiness.
Many people think that if a marriage has a problem, it takes two for a marriage. It is a problem husband plus a problem wife that gives you a problem marriage.
Before marriage, two people grow up under two different rules. When they meet, they always show one another their best face and give one another their best voice. You say, “These two are matched for each other.” But only after you are married do all the problems emerge.
All the problems in marriage stem from problems that were there prior to being married. The entire story of the fall of man is not as simple as we think it is.
When we preach the gospel, we say that we are sinners under the judgment of God. We need to believe in Jesus; then we are no longer condemned, and our sins are thrown away. All the burden of sin has been discharged from us.
This is the gospel we hear, and this is the gospel we preach. It is not wrong. In this gospel, no longer are we condemned. Thank the Lord, this is great news.
Because of the wisdom and power of the cross, each and every one of us has been saved. But if we return to the Bible and see how man originally fell, we find that Adam ate of the forbidden fruit.
God said that on the day you eat of that fruit, you shall die. God put before Adam and Eve the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. In God’s heart, He wanted Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree of life.
But Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The day you eat of the fruit, you shall die. Adam still lived over nine hundred years, but God’s Word is not wrong. The day he ate, he died.
Why? Because he was cast out of the garden of Eden. He could no longer eat of the tree of life, and from that day on he was separated from God.
When God created Adam, man could feel the existence of the universe. Inside man there is a soul through which he can feel his own existence. Even deeper, there is a spirit through which man can sense the existence of God and have fellowship with Him.
That day, Adam indeed died. His spirit died first, and nine hundred years later his body lay in the tomb.
If we carefully read the story in Genesis, man’s fall has three movements, just as there are many movements in an orchestra.
In Genesis 3, man fell into sin. Adam sinned, and from that point on we have the nature of sin.
In the original language, there are two words for sin: one is singular, and one is plural. When we speak of sins in the plural, it speaks of individual sins. The singular mention of sin speaks of its nature.
In Genesis 3, sin entered the world, and death followed sin. The day that Adam ate of that fruit, he indeed died; only nine hundred years later did his body die.
Then we come to Genesis 6, where man became flesh. When the spirit lost its function toward God, the body slowly took its place. Our thoughts, our will, and our personality became governed by the body.
The person becomes an upside-down person, and that upside-down person is what the Bible refers to as the flesh.
The story of the fall in the garden of Eden shows us that man was a sinner and committed many sins. But do not forget: it is not because you committed sins that you are a sinner. It is because you are a sinner that you commit sins.
Flesh shows us how the soul was polluted or contaminated. When we are governed by alcohol, we cannot help but drink. When we are governed by our hormones, we cannot help but sin. A person is destroyed; a family is destroyed. This is the story of sin, and it is also the story of the flesh.
When you reach Genesis 10 and 11, you see that an organization is formed. Before, it was only Adam who rebelled. Now it is a corporate rebellion under Satan’s direction. Then this world was born.
This is the origin of the world. The world is in the hands of the evil one. Man has fallen as far as he can fall. This apple is rotten from the very core. There is no way to save it.
This is the fall of man in three movements: sin, the flesh, and the world. Ever since man fell, the situation of the world is what we see today. The world is devoid of God and full of idols. The entire world is sinking.
Thank the Lord, from Genesis 12, God called one person named Abraham. From Abraham came one household; from one household, one nation; and from this, a people—the people of Israel.
On one hand, God entrusted the Word to them. On the other hand, He kept them a pure and unique people, not among the nations. For this reason, God was able to gain a people so that the Saviour could be born in Bethlehem.
Our Lord Jesus, our Saviour, was manifested two thousand years ago. He came down to earth. If He is our Saviour, there is only one way and only one solution: He must save us to the very end.
He saved us in the past, He saves us today, and He will save us in the future. He will save us to the very end.
If you know the great mess that we are in, you know how great is the power of the cross and how great is the wisdom of the cross.
For what the Lord has accomplished on the cross for us, we are separated from wrath and delivered from the condemnation of sin. But do not forget: sin is still in us. Sin will leave us only when the Lord returns.
Even though we are saved, sin is still in us, and the flesh is still present with us. Here is the problem: sin wants to be king. Sin has a nature that wants to manage you, so you cannot help but be slaves to sin.
The penalty of sin has already been resolved. No longer are we condemned. Under the precious blood of our Lord, we have been saved by grace. But we are still on earth, and sin is still in us.
How is the problem of sin going to be solved? In other words, how can we be delivered from the power of sin? What is the wisdom of the cross? What is its solution?
We think that the best solution is to get rid of sin. One day sin will be gone—that is when the Lord returns. When we are in a glorious body, sin will forever be gone, and the flesh will be gone.
But before we see our Lord, as long as He leaves us on earth, how do we solve the problem of sin, the problem of the flesh, and the problem of the world?
Some people think that once we are saved and consecrate ourselves to the Lord, we will gain a second blessing; the Holy Spirit will fill us, and from that day on the root of sin will be taken away. But this is not what the Bible says.
The wisdom of the cross says that sin still remains. We say that sin has to die, but the Lord says, “No. It is not sin that dies; the sinner should die.”
The reason we sin is because we are too alive to sin. We are dead to God, but we are alive to sin.
When a child is alive, the child moves. You do not have to teach a child how to dance or sing. But when the child is sick, the child does not move. If they are alive, they will move.
Here is the problem: we are alive to sin. Our emotions have been polluted. Our will has been polluted. Our thoughts have been polluted. Before, we should say yes to God and no to Satan; but now we cannot do it because we are alive to sin.
Mark Twain said that stopping smoking is the easiest thing in the world: “I have quit smoking over a hundred times already.”
People know that smoking is not good. In England, they call cigarettes “coffin nails.” Each cigarette that you smoke, you are nailing your coffin.
When something attracts us, it is because we are too alive. If you are sick, you are not that alive. If you have a problem with your feet, you will not be attracted as much to the world.
What is God’s solution? We find it in Romans 6: our old man is crucified with Christ, so we no longer are slaves to sin.
There is one way not to be a slave. It is not that sin dies; it is that this “I” dies.
When a ship hits a rock or is grounded on a reef, there are two ways to make it go again: remove the reef, or allow the water to rise. God will allow grace to rise.
Whenever we are dead to sin, you will see that God’s grace increases. The reef is still there, but no longer are we slaves.
Dear young brothers, I know that many of you want to please the Lord after you are saved. But you need to know one thing: you need to be delivered from sin.
The more you love the Lord, the more of a burden you may have. There was a brother named Ironside who was part of the Salvation Army. He indeed wanted to seek holiness, and one day he consecrated himself.
He felt that his sin was gone and that he had reached a point of sinlessness. He thought he had received a second blessing. But after a little while, he realized that he had sinned again.
Another brother told him, “That is not sin. That is just weakness.” But he could not say that. Eventually, he became so burdened and nervous that he entered a hospital to rest.
All those in the hospital were of a higher rank than he was. Then, one day, the Lord opened his eyes. God did not have sin die. But thank the Lord, the old man was crucified with Christ.
This old man is many thousands of years old. He began with Adam. Before we are saved, there is someone who has lived a long life. Perhaps he has a white beard and has lived many thousands of years. That person is you and me.
But thank the Lord, this person is indeed old. Two thousand years ago, the Lord said that this person should already be in the tomb.
When the Lord breathed His last breath, Paul was there, Peter was there, and you and I were there.
We have nothing to do with the redemptive work on the cross. On the cross, our Lord did the entire work Himself. When He said, “It is finished,” He finished the work and breathed His last breath.
At that moment, our old man was crucified with Christ. The cross for us is not suffering. On the cross, Jesus suffered. But when we are co-crucified with Christ, the emphasis is not suffering; it is that we have breathed our last breath.
How do you know that two thousand years ago Jesus died for you? It is what the Lord Himself said. If you believe it in your heart, you are saved by grace.
We also believe that two thousand years ago, when He breathed His last breath, so did we. You believe, and according to Paul, you need to count. You have to count according to reality. God’s Word is reality.
You are justified because you believe. You are delivered from sin because you believe. Because you believe, you have a position; and because you believe, you have a life.
This life is a life devoid of sin. Even though sin is still there, it is because I am dead that sin can no longer touch me. When I sin, I sin with my body; but because I am already dead, my body has become unemployed. It has no job.
Therefore, we no longer are slaves to sin. This is the secret to living a life of holiness.
The Lord did not just use His precious blood to wash each and every one of our sins. This is the work of the cross. He does not only deliver us from the penalty of sin; He also delivers us from the power of sin.
Sin no longer has power over us. For those of us who are saved, we can live a life of freedom. We are alive to God, so we consecrate ourselves and live a separated life.
This is called sanctification. When we have a position, we have justification. When we have fruit, it is sanctification. Each and every one of us is called to live a life of holiness.
Two thousand years ago, when the Lord was crucified, God allowed our old man to be crucified with Christ. No longer are we slaves to sin.
But aside from sin, man became flesh. Man’s special feature is that he has a living soul. Yet because he is governed by the body, man becomes flesh.
How do you solve the problem of the flesh? When you read Romans 7, Paul tells us what the flesh is:
For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.
If you want to find a definition of the flesh, look at Paul. The flesh is the “I” in which there is no good.
Why did man become flesh? Do you remember the two trees? When Adam ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, his spirit died, but his soul was alive. He felt ashamed of himself and became conscious of himself.
The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil activated his soul. The result was the flesh. He knows what is good, and he knows what is evil, but here is the problem: there is no good in him.
You know that you should not commit sin, and you know that you need to do good. If you do evil, you are a sinner. But if you do not do good, that is a dead man.
Not only is man a sinner; he is also a dead man. Because he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he was separated from the tree of life.
Because he sinned, he is a sinner. Because he is separated from the tree of life, he is a dead man. Yet he has the knowledge of good and evil.
Paul tells us the result of eating that fruit:
For to will is present with me, but to do that which is good is not.
The good that I should do, I cannot do. That is a dead man. The evil that I do not want to do, I do. That is a sinner.
In Romans 7, you have the body of sin and the body of death. We do not only sin; we habitually sin. We do not sin merely on occasion.
Sometimes we sin and repent before the Lord. But sin not only makes you sin; sin becomes a law, so that you sin continuously. To sin becomes the norm.
The law of sin and death is present. Yet after you are saved, you want to live a life of holiness and be conformed to the image of His Son. You want to be humble and gentle like Christ.
You know what is good and what is evil. You want to do good, but you cannot perform it. We have heard many messages, and we want to be like our Lord. This is the prayer of our hearts.
How do you handle the law of death and sin? Again, we see the wisdom of the cross and the power of the cross.
Why are we dead men? Because we have been separated from the tree of life. But thank the Lord, when we accept the cross into our hearts, something changes.
According to John, our Lord was crucified in a garden. Peter tells us that He was hung on a tree. That tree is the cross.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, this tree becomes our tree of life. Through death, our Lord was able to release life; in resurrection, He released life.
When we believe and accept Jesus as our Saviour, what Adam could not do, we do. The day that we accepted the Lord Jesus, we ate of the fruit of the tree of life.
The life of Christ abides in us, and the Holy Spirit abides in us. Death and sin are a law, but the Spirit and life are also a law.
One who is filled with the Spirit is habitually filled with the Spirit and habitually lives a life of holiness. One who is filled with life always shows forth the beauty of Christ.
Do you see the two laws? These laws cannot intersect.
When you read the story of Esther, you see that Haman represents the flesh. He used the king’s signet to give out a decree. You cannot change Persian law.
Haman’s law was the law of sin and death. But in the whole story of Esther, Mordecai, representing the spirit, sat on the throne, and Haman, the flesh, was crucified.
Esther wanted King Ahasuerus to get rid of that law, but he could not do that. You cannot change Persian law. But there was another law, and that law enabled the Jewish people to protect themselves.
That law is the law of the Spirit of life. The law of the Spirit of life enables us to overcome the law of sin and death.
To live a life of holiness, you have to believe first that two thousand years ago you breathed your last breath. But on the other hand, the Holy Spirit abides in us. Now you have another law that overcomes the law of sin.
What is the wisdom of the cross? What is the power of the cross? It did not merely uproot our sins. It enabled the life in us to become a counterbalance.
Then we do not sin. Not only that, but we can be conformed to the image of His Son. The law of sin and death will never allow us to attain this, but the law of the Spirit of life releases us.
There is another facet to the flesh. When man fell, man’s soul became overdeveloped. It became the center of the world. Man thinks that he is the most important person.
But there is good news. When you read Galatians, Paul says:
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me.
If Christ is our life, who lives in us—is it Christ, or is it me? Before, I was self-centered. How can there be two centers?
Thank the Lord, two thousand years ago, when the Lord breathed His last breath, we who were self-centered were also crucified. So, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.
Do you know that this is the gospel? This is great news. On the cross, He died for our sake, so we no longer have to die. But Christ in us lives for us, so we no longer have to live by ourselves.
Christ is patient. Christ is gentle. Therefore, you do not have to bite your teeth and try to be patient. Many people grit their teeth until they get an ulcer, but they are still not conformed to the image of Christ.
What is the reason? It is because ourselves have become the center. In the family, we may still feel that the universe revolves around us.
Then one day the Lord opens your eyes: it is no longer I who live, but Christ. One who is self-centered likes to show off and likes to do things. But everything is grace. I did nothing. I contributed nothing.
Paul told the Galatians, “Who hath bewitched you?” You began in the Spirit; are you now going to be completed by the flesh?
After we are saved, we try to be spiritual. If we contribute something, we think it means something. But everything is grace. How you came in is how you grow.
When you came in, you did nothing. Jesus died on the cross for you. After you come in, you do not need to live by yourself. Christ lives for you.
This is a wonderful gospel. If this is not the power of the cross, what is it?
Paul said that if he preached circumcision, then the stumbling block of the cross would no longer exist. The cross is a stumbling block.
In history, God already accomplished something two thousand years ago: it is no longer I who live, but Christ. But many times we are like Peter.
One day the Lord told Peter and the disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to be crucified. Peter said, “May it not be. Do not do that. Think about Yourself.”
Brothers and sisters, if the Lord did not go to the cross, then you and I would be finished. If He did not go to the cross, God’s will would not be accomplished.
What did the Lord say? “Get thee behind Me, Satan.” He said, “Thou art a stumbling block unto Me.” Peter was stumbling the will of God.
Then the Lord continued:
If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
To understand this verse, you need to see the context. To take up the cross means that you allow the Holy Spirit to put the stumbling block before you. Peter can fall, but not the will of God.
To be crucified is a plus sign. To carry the cross is an X mark. Peter wanted to put an X mark on the will of God, but the Lord wanted to put an X mark on the life of Peter.
May I decrease; may He increase. Then the Lord can move forward toward Jerusalem, and His salvation is completed.
But this is not the full story. He says, “Follow Me. Take up your cross and follow Me.” What does it mean to follow Him?
When you read Galatians, we need to walk according to the Spirit. Then you are not alone; you have power. Those who are in Christ Jesus can crucify the lusts of the flesh. It is not what you did; it is what the Spirit has done.
This is an active word, not merely historical. Then we can be His disciples. We take up the cross and follow Him.
The problem is not only our flesh and our self. The other problem is the world. Paul said that, as to the world, he had been crucified to the world, and the world had been crucified to him.
In other words, to the world I am dead, and to me the world is dead. Paul said, “From henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus.”
The whole world knows that this person has taken up his cross. As long as you have the marks in your life, to the world you are dead, and to you the world is dead. You are saved from the world.
Today we are encumbered by sin, obsessed with self, and used by the world. Satan uses all kinds of methods to suppress us. But thank the Lord, the cross will always be victorious.
The cross is not only wisdom but also power. No one can solve this great mess. Only our Lord Jesus, through the cross, can solve it.
When you read Romans and Galatians, you see that the cross solves the problem of sin, the flesh, and the world. The Lord gave us the Word; we have no more reason to sin.
There is much bacteria in my mouth today, but I am not sick. When my resistance is strong, it is not that the bacteria are gone, but that I overcome the bacteria.
God did not take away the bacteria, but through a healthy body He shows us that it is possible for someone to be free and holy.
May the Lord be gracious and show us that when He calls us, He does not only give us a position of righteousness. He gives us a life to live a life of holiness. The greatest good is to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Because of the law of the Spirit of life, we are released. That is the word of the cross.
When you read 1 Corinthians, it talks about the word of the cross. Romans and Galatians make it very clear that God’s weakness is greater than man’s power, and God’s foolishness is greater than man’s wisdom.
In 1 Corinthians 3:18, Paul says:
Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
What Christ has done is an objective truth, but it does not end there. God wants us to become wise. If we are to have God’s wisdom, we need to have the work of the cross.
There were two men of wisdom and power: Paul and Apollos. Some said, “I am of Paul,” and others, “I am of Apollos.” But what was the lesson Paul and Apollos learned?
Paul was misunderstood. If you read 1 and 2 Corinthians, you know that he was misunderstood. But that was when Paul learned his lesson. Paul was very wise and powerful, so the cross had to fellowship with him.
That is the fellowship of the cross, so that Paul becomes foolish, and then he can become wise.
Paul says:
For I think God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, both to angels and men.
The generals are in the front, while the captives are in the back. Paul and Apollos might be expected to be at the front, but God put them at the very end.
In 1 Corinthians 4:10, Paul says:
We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong.
To this present hour, we are hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, roughly treated, and homeless. We toil, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure. When we are slandered, we try to conciliate.
This is a way. When you walk this way, when people persecute you, you endure. When they revile you, you bless them. Is this foolishness or wisdom? Is this power or weakness?
On the surface, it is weakness, but in reality it is the power of God. If you understand the way of the cross, He wants to fellowship the cross to you, and then your way becomes narrow.
Paul says that we have become as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now. Yet he does not write these things to shame us, but to admonish us as beloved children.
For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, you would not have many fathers. Many tutors can give you the doctrine of the cross. But Paul says, “I am a father. You are my children. I begat you in Christ Jesus.”
Therefore, Paul says, “I exhort you, be ye imitators of me.” He sent Timothy, his beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind them of his ways in Christ.
That way is the same as the narrow way and the narrow gate. The Holy Spirit through Paul gives us a calling: the calling of the cross.
You can understand the word of the cross, but you also need to hear the call of the cross. In Christ, you have a way, and that way is the way of the cross.
If you read 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul continuously mentions weakness and foolishness, power and wisdom.
In 2 Corinthians 13, Paul says:
For He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth through the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we shall live with Him through the power of God toward you.
This is the calling of the cross. We are weak with Him, but we are going to live with Him. On one hand, weakness; on the other hand, power.
Paul says that we rejoice when we are weak but you are strong. This also we pray for: that you may be made complete.
To be complete is to be a mature man. To be a mature man is to be a spiritual man. A foolish man is a man of the flesh.
1 Corinthians speaks of the man of the flesh and the foolish man. 2 Corinthians speaks of the spiritual man and the mature man. As we walk in the way of the cross and receive the fellowship of the cross, our life grows.
The pattern of sound words does not only show us God’s Word. It also shows what these words manifested in Paul. Paul said that he was the chief of sinners, but he received mercy. His life showed forth the patience of Christ.
Paul received mercy, and Paul walked the way of the cross. We do too. Brothers and sisters, this is the word of the cross.
When our Lord ascended, John saw that the Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes. These are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
What is the Holy Spirit we have today? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Lamb. What is the Spirit of the Lamb? Seven eyes speak of His wisdom, and seven horns speak of His power.
We preach Christ crucified because He is the power of God and the wisdom of God. John tells us that wherever the Lamb goes, we follow.
If we really follow Him, we will become the firstfruits, and we will be raptured to the throne. Thank the Lord. No cross, no crown.
When we speak about these four epistles, on one hand we speak of the word of the cross, but we also speak of the word of life.
In the last set of books, when Paul was imprisoned, he learned a bigger lesson. He rose even higher.
Ephesians shows us the higher life: life on the highest plane, seated with the Lord in the heavenlies. Yet Paul was still in prison.
He had the power of resurrection and the power of ascension. He thought of that prison as a cocoon around a butterfly, but the life inside broke through the cocoon.
A Christian is not merely a man of earth looking up to heaven, but a man in heaven looking down on earth. That is to be seated in the heavenlies. This is a higher life.
Robert Chapman was described as a heavenly person. Robert Chapman said that she was so spiritual that her feet did not touch the ground.
Some spoke badly about Robert Chapman because of disagreements concerning the rapture. Darby said, “Do not criticize my brother. Every day we speak of being seated in the heavenlies, and our brother is already there.”
Only Paul, when he was in prison, could manifest that ascending life and resurrecting life that enabled him to overcome all. When he wrote Ephesians, he wrote from the heavens to the earth, from eternity to now.
Someone once saw a large sign in a living room saying, “Look down.” It seemed very odd. Why say, “Look down”? It depends on where you are looking from. If you are in heaven, you look down.
Our life is a heavenly life. Philippians shows us a deeper life. There is not a book that is deeper than Philippians:
For to me to live is Christ.
“I want to be conformed to His death.” That death is a deeper death, and that joy is a deeper joy.
When you read Colossians, you do not only have depth and height; life also has breadth. It is a fuller life—not only a higher life and a deeper life, but also a broader life.
When you speak of the fullness of life, all the fullness is in Christ, and we in Christ receive fullness. But our vessel is too small.
Paul is not enough. Peter is not enough. We need many other members. We have to collect all these members together so that we can become one body.
There is breadth to life. This is a fuller life. A fuller life is the life of the body of Christ. Christ is the Head, and the church is the body of Christ.
There was a blind man who could not see, but he could walk. There was a lame man who could not walk, but he could see. When there was a fire, who carried whom? It shows us that one is not enough. You need both.
When you read Colossians, you see that Christ is all and in all, and He is the Head of the church. We are too small as individuals. An individual Christian will never have a full life.
When you return to Ephesians, you see that the first half speaks of the body, and the latter part speaks of individual life.
What kind of husband should you be? You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Because you are filled, you can love your wife as Christ loved the church.
You have a blueprint for individual life. This life cannot be separated from church life.
Today people speak of the body of Christ, the elders, and the church. But how do we build the body of Christ? Once we are perfected as members, we become the body of Christ.
If you do not know how to be a husband, you do not know how to be a spouse. If you have not been filled with the Holy Spirit, you cannot simply go to a bookstore to learn how to live a family life.
There is a standard for how to love your wife. That standard is a spiritual standard: how Christ loved the church. You cannot separate church life and individual life.
Then we can together be built into the church, the body of Christ. Then we reach fullness.
Do you remember when David wanted to build the temple? He had shed much blood. Only peacemakers can build.
But God comforted David: “I will build thy house.” David had the heart to build, but he could not do it.
We may have a heart for the church, but we cannot do it. Yet God comforts us: He first builds our house.
David was built. He learned many lessons. Absalom rejected him, and he learned many lessons. Then his house grew because of grace. Solomon was born.
Solomon was a king, and Solomon means peace. When God works in the life of David, then you have peace, and then you have the perfection of the church.
How can you be built up together if you are everywhere? For this reason, when the temple was finally built, there were two buildings: on one hand, the temple; on the other hand, Solomon’s palace. David’s throne was there.
When you see the temple built, who built it? It was not David; it was Solomon. But because God built David and God built David’s house, grace arrived, and therefore the temple could be built.
Ephesians is like Mount Moriah. The first half is like the temple, and the second half is like David’s house.
When we live the Christian life, do not forget: God is building us. What is His purpose? So that in our house we can have a Solomon, and that Solomon can build a temple.
One day, when David sees that the temple is built, he can say, “I did not contribute anything, but because of His grace, because of what He did in my life, the temple is built.”
Brother Nee and Brother Sparks had a conversation. Brother Sparks asked Brother Nee, “What do you think is the most difficult prophecy to be fulfilled?”
Brother Nee mentioned Ephesians 5:27: the Lord gaining a glorious church is probably the most difficult part.
But thank the Lord, the way is found in Ephesians. Mount Moriah is before us.
If you are not a husband, you should wait until you are a husband for the sake of the body of Christ. How you treat your wife—is that how Christ treats the church?
We accept the work of the cross. We shed tears; we are often hurt. We are not worthy to build His temple. Yet God gave the blueprint, and He said, “It was not you. It is Solomon.”
Before the Lord’s return, may we see that the Lord wants to gain a glorious church. Only in this way can life be high, life be deep, and life be broad.
In church history, there have been many spiritual giants. But not a single spiritual giant can attain to the fullness of life. That is the word of life.
At the very end, when we read 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians, we see that when an infant is just born, the mother already thinks about what will happen in the future.
Paul said that the believers were his crown. His greatest desire was that the infant could stand before Christ and become a mature man.
A mother who had just become a mother called me and asked, “Which university should my child go to?” She was not worried about the diapers; she was already thinking of the future.
Young people, when you were first saved, the Lord had a dream concerning you: one day you will be conformed to the image of His Son.
When we become mature, then we will be raptured. Just as our Lord walked in the way of the cross, we will rise up to the throne. That is our future. That is our tomorrow.
The church has a tomorrow. Otherwise, we do not need Revelation.
When you read Revelation, your impression should not merely be the seven bowls, the Antichrist, or all the persons and events. It shows us that the church has a future, no matter how difficult the circumstances may be.
The cross will always manifest its wisdom and power. Babylon will fall, and Jerusalem will rise. Then God’s purpose will be attained.
May the Lord hide these words in our lives. This is the pattern of sound words.
Lord, we want to commit these words into Your hands. Breathe upon these words.
We pray for the many Timothys among us. Lord, if You tarry, may they continue to carry the torch so that You may be glorified.
May all those who have ears hear these words. May many of the young people, those who have been born for this very day, hear Your calling. May Your will be done.
We give You all the glory. The shame we give to the enemy, and blessing we give to the church.
In Jesus’ precious name, amen.